Rock History

1967 – The BBC bans The Beatles” A Day In The Life” due to alleged ‘drug references’. Frank Gillard, the BBC’s Director of Sound Broadcasting writes, “the words ‘I’d love to turn you on’ followed by that mounting montage of sound, could have a rather sinister meaning.” Doesn’t matter, the song becomes one of the group’s most recognizable classics.

1998 – U2 give a concert in Belfast in support of an upcoming Peace Agreement vote. The show comes right after frontman Bono being named one of the 20 most hated men in Northern Ireland. 

2012 – Sammy Hagar donates $10,000 to the St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish Food Bank in Atlantic City. “When I see children that aren’t eating, that’s when I get really touched, so my first goal is to help children as much as possible because they’re the future of this planet,” says Hagar, who contributes funds to food banks on every stop on his band’s tour.

2023 – Weezer surprise striking TV and movie writers on the picket line with an acoustic performance outside the Paramount Pictures’ lot in L.A.  They play their hit “Beverly Hills,” among other songs.

1978 – Joe Walsh delivers his fourth studio album “But Seriously, Folks… ” The set, which is Walsh’s best-selling solo effort, contains “Life’s Been Good (To Me So Far),” one of the all-time great songs about Rock excess. 

1987 – Mötley Crüe release their fourth album “Girls, Girls, Girls.”

It becomes their third straight album to go quadruple platinum. But it wasn’t easy.  Vocalist Vince Neil’s attempts at sobriety fail, bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee are addicted to heroin and guitarist Mick Mars is suffering from ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic and painful type of arthritis.

2015 – Black Sabbath are honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 Ivor Novello Awards in London. Ozzy Osbourne misses the event but former drummer Bill Ward reunites with guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler to accept the prize.

2013 – A New Musical Express (NME) reader’s poll of the Greatest Britpop Anthem Of All Time is dominated by Oasis, who hold the Top 5 spots with “Live Forever” at #1 followed, in order, by “Don’t Look Back In Anger.” “Supersonic,” “Cigarettes And Alcohol’ and “Wonderwall.”

2007 – The Edge (U2’s guitarist) receives an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Boston’s Berklee College of Music. He’s acknowledged “for enduring contributions to American and international culture.” “Collaborating with talented people is not easy,” says the guitarist. “But it’s the way to really shine.”

1972 – On national T.V. (“The Dick Cavett Show”) John Lennon says the government is spying on him and trying to boot him out of the country. Most people dismiss this as “just another Lennon fantasy.” Imagine, twenty years later when it’s discovered that was exactly what the government was doing. The Nixon Administration felt Lennon was a dangerous subversive who had to go. Lennon prevails and gets his Green Card.